


Soul of a Hero

by Amayasuzunami156, Shiny9Tails



Category: Undertale (Video Game), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angry Bakugou Katsuki, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bakugou Katsuki Faces Consequences, Bakugou Katsuki Needs Therapy, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Bully Bakugou Katsuki, Bullying, Character Death, Child Abandonment, Corpses, Crossover, Demonic Possession, Despair, Discrimination, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Feelings, Feels, First Meetings, Flowey (Undertale) Being an Asshole, Gen, Ghost Chara (Undertale), Good Parent Midoriya Inko, Hero Worship, Intrusive Thoughts, Investigations, Magic, Mentioned Chara (Undertale), Midoriya Izuku Needs A Hug, Midoriya Izuku Needs Therapy, Missing Children, Missing Persons, Nonbinary Frisk (Undertale), Panic, Parent Toriel (Undertale), Petty Thoughts, Possession, Post-War, Quirk Discrimination (My Hero Academia), Quirk Farming, Quirkless Midoriya Izuku, Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Realization, References to Undertale Genocide Route, Regret, Running Away, Selectively Mute Frisk (Undertale), Spiteful Thoughts, Suffering, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Tsukauchi Naomasa Needs a Break, Yagi Toshinori regrets crushing Izuku, concerned adult, good kid Frisk, motivational signs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:35:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22926535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amayasuzunami156/pseuds/Amayasuzunami156, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shiny9Tails/pseuds/Shiny9Tails
Summary: Izuku goes to Aokigahara to end it all after his fateful encounter with All Might.In the Suicide Forest, he falls down into the world of Monsters.Can he get out of the Underground alive?Does he even want to leave?Written by Shiny9TailsProofread by Amayasuzunami156
Comments: 63
Kudos: 362





	1. Disappear

Izuku shook as he held his burnt and waterlogged notebook. Unlucky number 13 was barely recognizable as the ink ran down the fragile pages. Honestly, he should have known this one would be ruined like the countless notebooks before it. It may have the number 13 written on it but it was more like the 30th considering all the ones Kacchan had destroyed in the past.

  
_"You wanna be a Hero so bad?"_

Izuku shook his head, trying to clear Kacchan's voice from echoing through all corners of his mind.

_"I've got a time-saving idea for you."_

He dropped the notebook as he grabbed the sides of his head and shook harder. He had decided not to care what anyone said anymore! He had decided to stay strong and keep his chin up!

So why was it so hard to ignore Kacchan's words?

_"If you think you'll have a quirk in your next life..."_

NoNoNo, Shut up before Kacchan finishes his sentence! He didn't want to hear those words again!

_"Go take a swan dive..."_

STOP,STOP,STOP! Why could he not get those words out of his head?!

_"....Off the roof!"_

Tears welled up and spilled down his cheeks unbidden. His hands moved to cover his face, to hide the shameful tears. Heros didn't cry. Heros smiled even when times were tough.

_But, you're not a Hero._

He pushed the thought away with all his might and scrubbed the tears from his eyes. It didn't matter if no one believed in him. As long as he believed he could do it, as long as he worked hard for it, he could and would become a Hero. Besides, Heros did cry sometimes. It was rare but it did happen and he still looked up to them. He didn't think less of them.

Izuku picked up his notebook and shook it out a little before returning it to his backpack. Thankfully the sun had dried some of it while he was crying. Some of the information even looked salvageable.

He started his walk home, but a thought still tickled the back of his head, waiting for the perfect time to rip him apart.

_You'll never be a Hero._

\--------------------------

"Without power, can one become a Hero? No, I should think not."

  
Izuku stared out at the city from the rooftop, still frozen in shock. His Hero, (was he still Izuku's hero?) left him there to silently ponder his words. Over the edge of the roof, he could see Yagi exit the building and race down the street towards the explosions. A petty and dark thought nestled itself at the forefront of his mind and he considered it only for a moment. 

Sure jumping off would be a terrible blow to the man he had respected for years, especially after the conversation they just had. Just the thought of All Might losing his winning smile gave his heart a sick lurch of pleasure, but the thought of his mother swept away all ill intent leaving only guilt for even considering it.  
He had to pass by the explosions to get home and felt the sick curdle of guilt grow stronger when he saw who it was the Slime Villain had in his grasp.

"Kacchan..."

The so-called Heroes stood back, waiting for someone with the appropriate quirk to show up and save the day, all while Kacchan swallowed more and more slime. The petty spiteful beast in his mind wondered how Kacchan liked feeling helpless.

Then Izuku saw the pain and suffering in his old friend's eyes, begging for help. The claws of that petty beast slipped away like smoke and his legs were moving without him. His mind flipped through his endless notes in moments and he threw his backpack with a measured toss. He only had a few moments but all he could think to do was scrape and claw at the viscous liquid that trapped his once friend.

He doesn't remember what he said to Kacchan, only taking note that whatever he said pissed Kacchan off more than anything else he's ever said or done. A strong hand grasped his arm and all the wind was knocked out of him. The hand was the only thing keeping him from flying off into the distance.  
He was dropped off to the other Heros and paramedics. His head was still spinning from everything that happened, the words surrounding him only asking why he didn't use his quirk and what it was. His mouth opened and the hated words tumbled out. 

"I'm quirkless."

Oh, how Izuku wished he could shove those words back inside like they didn't exist in the first place. The voices silenced for a tense few seconds, shock settling into the Heros. Then the cacophony started up again, louder and angrier than ever.

He was being called stupid and reckless. He was humiliated and insulted. He had moved when no one else had! Why was he being yelled at when he had at least tried while the so-called Heros stood back and watched? Watched while his first friend drowned.

Speaking of Kacchan, why could he hear the Heros praising him? All he had done was get captured and destroy hundreds of dollars in property while he struggled. He could've killed someone that attempted to save him with the way he threw his explosions around. Why was he being praised while he was being yelled at?

It didn't make sense.

The _world_ didn't make sense.

He ran away. Away from the Heros, away from the paramedics, away from the crowd. He ran until he was breathless and ran some more anyways, the burn in his throat almost cathartic. He finally dropped under a tree in a nearby park, huffing and puffing as he gathered his thoughts.

He still wanted to be a Hero.... right? He just didn't want to be like those Heros that stood by and did nothing. He wanted to be like-

_Like All Might..._

But even All Might stood back and did nothing. All Might told him he couldn't be a Hero.

All Might left a kid with a broken heart alone on a rooftop.

_"Go take a swan dive off the roof!"_

Tears welled up in Izuku's eyes, blinding him as everything came crashing down on him. 

_"Without power, can one become a Hero? No, I should think not."_

_"Deku! You're nothing but a useless piece of shit!"_

_"I'm sorry."_

Those two words stuck out the most to him. The words his mother said when he asked her if he could still be a Hero ten years ago.

_"I'm sorry"_

Ever since she wore a smile for him and his dream, except now he finally understood why it never really reached her eyes.

She worked two jobs so he could buy Hero merch and notebooks for him to fill. She worked late nights and early mornings so she could feed him katsudon when Kacchan ruined his day.

What could she have done with that money if he had simply picked a different profession to be obsessed over? 

What could she have done with her life if he never existed in the first place?

She could've become a nurse like she wanted. She could've married someone who loved her and wouldn't abandon her with a quirkless infant.   
Without him, her life would've easily been ten times easier.

_"...swan dive off the roof."_

That suggestion was sounding better and better by the moment. Without him, All Might would've gotten the Slime Villain to jail and Kacchan wouldn't have been attacked. Without him maybe Kacchan would've stayed the nice cheerful kid he was at four.

His heart thumped against his chest, growing heavier by the second. His face was hot and cold at the same time, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. He had to get home but his body wouldn't let him up.

All he could do was weep.

\---------------------

It felt like forever but eventually, he was able to stand and wipe the dirt from his pants and the tears from his eyes. It was getting dark and his mom would be worried. His fingers brushed his pocket and he remembered what was in his wallet.

The money he had saved up for weeks. Money he had originally planned on using to buy a Limited Edition Debut Anniversary All Might hoodie. Money he no longer wanted to waste on Hero things.

Should he even go home? To his room that was a shrine to Heroes? To his mother with her pitying smile?

Should he continue to be a burden?

_No._

Kacchan was right. He needed to disappear from the face of the Earth and he knew exactly where he needed to go to do so. It was even relatively close by.

The Suicide Forest, Aokigahara.

\-------------------------

Inko Midoriya hovered around the door to their apartment. She watched the sunset and the moon start to rise through the window. She had seen the news, had calmed down Mitsuki until Katsuki got home.

She had asked him where Izuku was and he shrugged. That was hours ago.

She was still waiting for Izuku to get home.

She had texted and called him repeatedly but he didn't text back and he didn't pick up. She had thought over and over again that maybe his phone was busted from the attack. She told herself he was helping someone with their groceries or helping them find something lost.

She couldn't make any more excuses. The terror in her soul had only grown as she waited and she couldn't help but feel as if something bad was happening to her child.

She picked up the phone and called the police.

\-------------------

Yagi Toshinori walked home, dejected as unease crawled across his skin. He had searched for the boy for hours but he just couldn't find him. The reporters had taken up too much of his time and now he couldn't take back what he said.

Sure he had been in a rush, but...

Regret washed over him in waves. 

_"Without power, can one become a Hero? No, I should think not."_

There was a difference between letting a child down gently and shattering their dreams. Fear gripped his heart as he ran his thoughts over those words again and again. How could he teach the next generation if he was so blase with their hearts? How could he guide them when he didn't hesitate to shatter them?

Fighting criminals was easier than this.

Not only that, but the boy had proved him wrong. He moved into action when no one else would, showing a truly heroic heart.

How could he have told him no? How could he have been so thoughtless? He could've worked with the kid, maybe even passed on One for All to him. Afterall he started out quirkless as well. He could almost see Nana shaking her head at him in disappointment.

He trudged on home, his heart growing heavier with every step.

He wasn't going to get any sleep that night.

\---------------------------

Bakugo Katsuki fumed as he paced in his room. His head was filled with that shitty useless nerd. 

That bastard had humiliated him on live television and had the nerve to run off before Katsuki could beat the snot out of him.

If the little shit had stayed out of it, he would've been able to blast that slimy bastard off by himself!

A small voice in the back of his head disagreed, claiming that the "useless" brat had saved him. It claimed that he would've suffocated if he hadn't intervened. That the heroes weren't gonna save him in time if Deku hadn't lept first.

He stomped louder as he paced, drowning out the voice. The nitroglycerin coating his palms stuttered and sparked as his rage grew and grew.

The old hag yelled up at him to be quiet and he yelled back. Yelling at the old bitch usually gave him some level of catharsis, but the small voice spoke again, fueling his rage again.

_"Without Deku, you would've never seen her or your dad again."_

He stomped down the stairs to dinner, hoping to rage at the old bitch some more.

He was gonna kill the useless nerd tomorrow.


	2. Descent

As Izuku made his way to Aokigahara, he encountered fewer and fewer people. With night closing in and the cities falling away, fewer people got on the bus and more got off. By the time it was his stop it was only him and the bus driver.

Izuku stood up and trudged up the aisle, his backpack thumping softly against his back. The driver held out a hand before he could get off, however.

"You got family around here kid?"

The old man quirked an eyebrow at him, completely no-nonsense. Then again Izuku supposed it was hard not to look serious when you had a boar's curled tusks and unexplainable scars.

He could tell the man the truth. That no, he didn't have any family out here and that he was planning on disappearing into the woods forever. In fact, everything his mother instilled in him screamed to ask for help. To turn back and go home. Apologize to his mother for worrying her and let her cook him another bowl of katsudon.

He didn't though.

The thought of tomorrow and what it would bring terrified him. The thought of having to go to school and rethink his future while Kacchan strutted and preened made him nauseous.The thought of his mother's tearful eyes as he buried his lifelong dream killed him inside. They would be tears of worry of course, but also tears of relief. Her tears and Kacchans taunts were too much to bear any longer.

So he lied.

"Y-Yeah. My grandma lives around here. She wanted me to stay for the weekend."

The old man stared at him for a long moment before he huffed and pulled his hand away. Izuku silently let out a sigh of relief and dismounted. The bus doors slid close behind him and the bus driver drove off, leaving Izuku alone at the bus stop.

Izuku waited until the bus disappeared into the distance before continuing his journey. It was only about a half-hour walk to the edge of Aokigahara and the night wasn't getting any younger.

As Izuku walked, signs began to pop up alongside the road and forest edge.

**"Your life is something precious that was given to you by your parents."**

**"Please talk to someone before you do something you regret."**

**"Turn back. There are people that love you."**

His mother popped into his mind briefly but he was reminded that he had only made his mother's life harder and continued on.

He trudged into the underbrush, wandering aimlessly into the trees. He wandered for what felt like hours, weaving between the tightly knit trees. The forest floor rose and fell like stationary ocean waves and he had to climb up and down over and over again as he walked. The utter silence was both eerie and calming for him. No one would find him in time for sure, if at all.

The moonlight glinted off of something and drew his eye. A ribbon flowed through the trees like water and his curiosity led him to it. He rubbed it gently between his thumb and pointer and wondered. On one end of the ribbon was probably the entrance to the woods, where park rangers and therapists waited for the hopeless. On the other end was... well, to be honest, it was probably a body. Someone waiting for their husk to be found and given a proper burial.

Another glint in the sparse moonlight grabbed his attention again. The glint moved slowly through the woods and a small child drifted into view. They moved slowly as if in a trance and Izuku could feel panic welling up inside him. Why was there such a small child in these woods? Why were they walking like they were half-dead? Where were their parents?

Izuku scrambled through the underbrush towards the child. His horror grew as he got closer. This kid couldn't be any older than 6 years old! What the hell were they doing in the woods, _these woods_ , alone and past sundown???

He tripped and fell over and over again but eventually, he made his way to the child. He gently placed his hands on the kid's shoulders and knelt to their height. They stopped moving but made no other movements, only tiny shallow breaths as if they were asleep.

"H-Hey? Are you ok? Where are your parents?"

The child didn't speak and only stared ahead blankly. He slowly waved a hand in front of their eyes but there was no recognition, not even a blink. Assuming they were maybe blind, he snapped his fingers next to their ear. Again the child didn't move, not even to flinch.

This was bad. This kid could easily be catatonic. Without a second thought, he lifted the child and settled them on his hip. The kid was so... _light._ Too light to the point of frailty. The child finally moved and grasped his shirt tightly and knelt their head against his shoulder.

"Hey? Can you talk? Are you ok?"

The child seemed to wake from a dream and looked up at him, blinking in what looked like surprise. They let go with one hand and made some kind of hand gesture at him.

"Excuse me?"

The child looked around, drinking in their surroundings before attempting to signal him again. The signal was different but more animated. They seemed scared so he explained.

"I found you wandering in the woods. I was going to take you to the park rangers. Can you not talk?"

The child's eyes widened and they looked down, thinking. They looked back at him and shook their head "no". They then poked his chest.

"OH, um... I'm Izuku Midoriya. Were you trying to use sign language earlier?"

The child nodded and made grabby motions with their free hand at his own hand. He lifted his palm to them and the child painstakingly drew kanji on his palm with their finger.

"Fr-isk... Frisk? Is that your name?"

"Frisk" nodded enthusiastically and hugged him tight. He blushed at the sudden affection but chalked it up to Frisk just being a scared kid. He'd never had a younger sibling so he didn't really understand children very well.

"Well Frisk, let's get you out of the woods and back home, ok?"

Frisk's face shifted a little bit after some thinking they nodded. Izuku couldn't help wondering about their hesitance. Surely they wanted to go home right? Home couldn't be scarier than these woods...could it?

He walked with Frisk on his hip towards the ribbon, only taking them off his hip to push them up onto hills in their way. Frisk would wait for him to climb up with them and then cling to his leg so he'd have to pick them up again. Up and down, up and down like the ground beneath his feet. 

He was carrying Frisk when his foot caught a tree root and Frisk went flying as he fell. They both got up and Izuku rushed forward to check if Frisk was ok when the ground beneath him fell away.

As he fell he could see Frisk pop their head over the edge of the hole, the moonlight highlighting the fear and worry on their face. His hand caught another root but the breath was forced out of his lungs as his back hit the wall of the hole.

Frisk stood up and paced around the hole, looking for a way to help him. They tried a long branch but it didn't reach. Trying to dig a slope to the root only hurt their hands.

Finally, Izuku got his breath back and yelled up to them.

"Frisk! Follow the ribbon! Follow the ribbon, ok? It'll take you to the park rangers!"

Frisk nodded eagerly and disappeared from the edge of the hole.

If he was honest, he knew the park rangers wouldn't get to him in time. His hand was already slipping and he didn't have to stamina to wait however long for them to find him.  
Besides, isn't this what he wanted? To disappear? At least this way Frisk wouldn't see him die. Frisk would go to the park rangers and they'd take them to the police where they'd be safe. If he really thought about it, this was the ideal situation.

He let go and fell down into the abyss.

It was only after he let go that the picture of Frisk crying popped into his head.

 _ **Oh shit.**_ He couldn't leave them like that! They'd blame themselves for his suicide! It would take who knows how many years of therapy for the small child to forgive themselves...

To keep Frisk from blaming themselves, _he had to live._

The darkness swallowed him and he fell into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Despair

Sansa Tamakawa is the one to pick up the phone when Inko calls. He gently spoke to her even as she broke down crying. He could only imagine what it was like to lose a child. He waited patiently as she gave him the information he needed.

"All right so to clarify, your son's name is Izuku Midoriya, correct?"

Behind him, he heard a gasp and a cough. He could hear his superior Naomasa Tsukauchi gently whispering to the person that coughed, so he went back to the phone call.

"Green hair, green eyes, freckles and is approximately 5' 5"? Ok... and you said he was quirkless?"

The coughing got worse behind him and he flicked one ear in annoyance. If you were sick you probably shouldn't be working. He overheard Naomasa apologizing to the coughing person for calling them in and felt a twinge of guilt. He returned to the call in earnest.

"All right ma'am, we'll send over some policemen over right away. I'll send out a search party in the meantime... You're welcome ma'am...I'm just doing my job ma'am."

He went to put down the receiver when a large hand covered his own. He looked up and met All Might's eyes, only... he looked _terrified_. Shaken, he let All Might take the receiver and looked over at Naomasa for clarification. Naomasa only shrugged and they both turned their attention to the imposing Hero.

"Pardon me, ma'am. You said you are the mother of Izuku Midoriya?"

A soft gasp came over the line and Yagi could hear the relief in her voice.

" _Y-yes_. My name is Inko Midoriya... Are you... Are you All Might?"

All Might stood a little straighter, but his signature smile didn't appear. It made Sansa anxious to see the large man frowning.

"Yes, ma'am. Is my voice that recognizable?"

She chuckled and Yagi could feel the tips of his ears burn. She... she had a cute laugh.

"Yes, but I suppose it helps that Izuku is such a fan. He regularly watches your interviews and battles..."  
A sniffle escaped her and Yagi felt all the blood drain out of his body. Fear coursed through his body.

"Ma'am... What happened to Izuku?"

Her sniffles increased and finally burst into another sob.

"He...he never came home from school! I-I saw the fight with the Slime Villain and-and it was reported that no one got hurt, but...but-"

Dread and shame filled him. He was so nauseous, he could vomit right there. 

"Mrs. Midoriya, I can personally assure you he left the fight with the villain unharmed. However, since he's now missing I'll be personally getting involved with the search. I can assure you, we are going to put our best people on this. Police and Heros alike."

"Th-thank you. Thank you so much All Might."

He hung up and Sansa picked up the phone to call the necessary officers. All Might picked up his own cell phone and began to dial as well. Naomasa led him to a separate room to make his calls and while they waited for various Heros to pick up he had Yagi fill him in.

" _Goddamn it Yagi_ , I thought you were smarter than that!"

Naomasa was furious. Yagi fucked up big time. The kid could've easily lept off the building to his death. It was actually pretty impressive the kid didn't.

"Quirkless kids can't be Heros, _at all???_ Are you nuts? You know we have support and rescue heroes that are quirkless! While it's uncommon now thanks to the increase in quirks, it's not unheard of!"

Yagi rested his head in his hands, now fully deflated since it was just the two of them.  
"I know... I know...I just...I wasn't thinking. I wasn't even in a hurry anymore since he saw my powered down form. I went to apologize to him after the Slime Villain was taken care of, but I couldn't find him at all."

Naomasa pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. His old friend really was a knucklehead.

"Well, you'll just have to apologize when we find him. You said you got a hold of Hound Dog?"

Yagi nodded.

"He's already on his way to the Midoriya residence. Hopefully, once he has young Midoriya's scent he can track him."

"You better hope so Yagi. You better hope so."

\------------------

Izuku's eyes slowly opened. 

Above him was the darkness of the hole, reaching up forever. Not even a glimmer of light pierced it.

Something soft brushed his cheek and he gently turned his head to look at it, ignoring the dull pain that radiated through him. A bright yellow buttercup, one of many, came into view. He gently touched its petals, fascinated by its velvet texture.

It took some time but eventually, he sat up. The pain pulsing through him felt more like he slept funny on a cheap bed rather than falling from high up. He was sore all over and a crick in his neck refused to go away.

He looked around slowly again, afraid to agitate his neck. For some reason, the buttercups glowed softly in the dark. The only other light in the cave was a few feet away illuminating a small patch of grass. He couldn't even tell where the light was coming from.

He staggered to his feet and examined the butter cups further. The glow they had seemed to come from themselves as if they grew in phosphorus-rich earth. Maybe that was why the other patch of ground glowed as well? His fingers itched for his notebooks and pencils.

He patted gently through the buttercups and eventually found his backpack. It was amazing how deep the buttercups went. If he laid his hands flat on the ground the blossoms would reach his elbows.

His notebook was mostly dry now, enough to write in again. He picked up a pen but hesitated after catching a glimpse of the cover. "Notes for the Future" stared back up at him accusatory. He didn't have a future anymore, didn't he? He threw away his future when he entered the forest. "Hero Analysis" glared up at him as well and he could feel a shiver race down his spine.

He rummaged through his bag and brought out a sharpie. He briefly hesitated again, but this time he uncapped the sharpie and crossed out "Hero Analysis" with a shaking hand. A weight lifted off his shoulders but settled again on his heart.

He hated feeling like this, the uncertainty and shame that came with giving up on his dream. He hated the shame of feeling stupid even more though. He flipped open the poor battered notebook and ripped out page after page of notes. Notes of Mt. Lady were thrown to one side. Notes of Kamui Woods scattered into the buttercups. Notes on Bakugou were shredded vindictively into tiny scraps. Notes upon notes were crumpled up and tossed aside like trash.

All Might's autograph was the only thing left.

Izuku huffed and puffed with fire pumping through his veins. He felt hot all over, shame and anger and despair mixing into a volatile cocktail. Tears he hadn't noticed before streamed down his face, splattering messily onto the pages.

With a primal scream, he ripped out the pages and ripped and ripped and ripped them apart. He shredded them and threw the shreds on the ground, stomping on the pile until his tears blinded him completely. He knelt in the flowers and punched the dirty pile of scraps, sobbing with rage.

His weeping petered off as his rage ebbed away, leaving only an empty aching hole in his chest where his heart was. He sniffled as he wiped his face with his grubby dirt-smeared hands.

He gingerly picked up what was left of his notebook and began to scribble notes on the buttercups, the aching fading away as he worked. He glanced over at the other patch of grass and he started his notes on it and dropped his pen.

_That buttercup wasn't there before..._

He scooped back up his pen and tripped through the flowers to get to the lone bloom. He knelt before it and was going to start examining it when two eyes popped open on the face of the flower.

"Howdy!"

Izuku screamed and fell back, instinctively crawling back a few feet. Was this the power of someone's quirk? If this was the extension, then where was the main body?

"Oh, dear! I'm sorry for scaring you! I just wanted to introduce myself. Are you ok?"

The Flower tilted its bloom to the side, a now visible mouth turned downwards into a concerned frown. Izuku crawled back over to it and stared in fascination. How good was the control of the person on the other side of the flower? Could they make the flower create other facial features like a nose? Were they only limited to facial features?  
Izuku picked up his notebook and furiously wrote down his theories. He was almost finished when a voice spoke right next to his ear, making him jump again.

"Those are some neat theories, but they're all wrong."

Resting a leaf on his shoulder was the Flower. Glancing back at the patch of grass the Flower was sitting revealed a long thick vine that curled behind him and was attached to the bloom looking over his shoulder. The words slipped out before he could think, curiosity forcing out all common sense.

"They're wrong? How does your quirk work then?"

The Flower settled back into its patch of grass, the vine pooling back into the hole so it resembled a normal buttercup once more. It tilted it's bloom to the side again, confused.

"What do you mean a quirk? Like a personality trait?"

Izuku stared at the Flower in shock, his jaw almost touching the ground. This person didn't know about quirks? Even though they were clearly using one? Did they live down here or something?

"A quirk? Like a special power? Everyone- ahem, Almost everyone has one. Aren't you using one right now? To talk to me? It's not like you are a sentient flower... right?"  
The Flower giggled and danced a little on its stem. It was Izuku's turn to tilt his head in confusion.

"No silly! Let me introduce myself properly!"

The Flower drew itself up as if it was a person standing up straight before a speech.

"I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower! It's nice to meet you!"

Izuku blinked slowly in disbelief. It really was a sentient flower, huh? Not wanting to be rude, Izuku bowed and gave his own name.

"I'm Izuku Midoriya. It's also nice to meet you Flowey. I'm sorry I freaked out when I first saw you. I've never met a talking flower before, quirk or otherwise."

Flowey seemed to accept this and danced a little more on his stem.

"Golly that's ok! It's pretty easy to tell you're not from around here. I could teach you how things work here if you'd like?"

The smile Flowey gave felt like sunshine on his heart and Izuku couldn't help but accept the little flowers offer. He nodded and picked up his notebook.

"Oh wow! You're really prepared, huh? Umm ok, now I'm a little nervous, knowing you'll be taking notes!"

Flowey cleared his throat and began.

"You're in the Underground. It's filled with Monsters, but don't worry, they're all very nice!"

Izuku yelped with surprise as a large white box popped into existence in front of him, complete with a dim red heart in the center.

"That Heart you see is your SOUL, the very culmination of your being! Oh my! Yours is really dim though. You've been going through a tough time, huh?"

Flowey smiled sympathetically and Izuku couldn't help but tear up again. It was one thing to know he was in pain, but for it to manifest in front of him? For the pain to be so obvious that someone he's never met sees it clear as day? He could feel the tears spilling over again and the little red heart in front of him shivered as a tiny crack formed over its surface.

"I can help fix that you know? You see anyones' SOUL can grow strong if they gain a lot of LV. LV stands for LOVE if it wasn't obvious."

Love, huh? Was that why he'd lasted so long in the first place? Was it the Love his Mother poured into him? It seemed silly to think about.

"No worries friend! I'll share some LOVE if you'd like!" Flowey prattled on as if the tears running down Izuku's face didn't exist. Small white pellets floated into the air and gently surrounded Flowey.

"I don't know what it's like for Humans, but down here we share LOVE through little white 'Friendliness pellets'"

The pellets hovered around Izuku and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Why was he suddenly so uneasy? Flowey just wanted to help, right? Who knows, maybe those pellets had the ability to heal? Curiosity rooted him in place as he watched the pellets dance around him.

"Here they come! Stay perfectly still, ok?"

The pellets bounced closer and closer, the unease growing stronger and stronger. Finally, they shot straight for him and his entire being suddenly burned. Every place they touched was white-hot pain. 

He crumbled to his knees and gasped for air, his body writhing in agony as the burning lit his every nerve ablaze. His face pressed into the dirt, he glanced up at Flowey, tears blurring his vision. Even half-blinded though he could see the distorted wide grin across the flowers bloom. It wasn't just a smug grin. His pain gave Flowey immeasurable sadistic glee.

_**"You Idiot."** _

Flowey's vines held him down as the vicious plant laughed and laughed. 

**_"I don't know what you did with the kid up top, but in this world, it's Kill or Be Killed!"_ **

The vines tightened around his throat and he was helpless as his air ran out and the little red heart cracked down the middle.

**_"Tell Chara I said 'hi' if you get the chance. I wanna play with them some more~"_ **

Izuku's little red heart snapped in two


	4. Displacement

Frisk was racing through the woods, one hand on the ribbon at all times. Every break in the trees gave them hope that they were almost there. Their "partner" had stayed surprisingly quiet the whole time, a fact that chilled Frisk's blood.

Chara only stopped talking if they were thinking and thinking usually led to bloodshed.

The ribbon ended abruptly, tied to a tree. Frisk feverishly looked around, trying desperately to find a ranger or building. 

Tree's were all Frisk could see and hanging from an old cherry tree in front of them was a corpse. Frisk hissed in a breath and scrubbed away the tears threatening to flow. They had no time to waste crying. They turned to follow the ribbon the other way and blinked.

They were back at the hole.

Frisk looked around in confusion. Did they reset outside the Underground? Was there a SAVE around here? Chara chuckled in their head and Frisk gulped.

They didn't reset.

Izuku did.

A cold chuckle echoed through their being.

"That was fast. I bet it was Asriel that killed him. You know, during his little 'introduction'."

Frisk remembered the first time they fell, the first time they died to "Flowey". The burning and traitorous laughter. Izuku had just experienced that.

Tears fell freely down their face, but Determination replaced their sorrow. They turned back to the ribbon and followed it in the right direction. They wouldn't let Izuku's resets be in vain.

This time they'd get help and save him like he saved them.

\----------------------------

Izuku woke up with a gasp, jumping to his feet and turning around frantically. Where was Flowey? Why didn't he burn anymore?

The flower was nowhere to be seen however so Izuku slumped back down, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest. He grasped his chest and tried to get his breathing under control. Maybe it was just a dream? Just a very very vivid dream.

Except he was still sitting in the patch of glowing buttercups instead of his bed. Except he had definitely felt pain and felt his entire being shatter.

Except he had definitely died.

He looked around for his notebook. Maybe writing this down would help him understand what was going on better?

It was right where he had found it the first time without a single page ripped out. He flipped through it, confusion filling him with every page.

Everything was still there! Every Hero, every scribble, was still there including All Might's autograph. The only thing that was missing was his notes on the buttercups and Flowey which made the odd situation even more incomprehensible.

He rewrote his notes on the buttercups and Flowey, making sure to write on Flowey's page that the dangerous little bloom told him they were wrong. He also added in notes on Flowey's attack and personality.

He was just finishing up when a familiar voice called out to him.

"Howdy!"

Izuku looked up in fear and sure enough, the smiley bloom was waving to him with a single leaf. Even from there the flower could see the fear and horror on Izuku's face and its smile widened. Sadistic glee filled him as Izuku backed away, only to meet with the cavern wall.

Izuku's heart pounded like a signal drum as his ability to breathe evaporated. Flowey remembered him! How could Flowey remember him? Wasn't Flowey part of his dream?  
In a blink of an eye, Flowey disappeared, leaving behind a small mound of dirt. Izuku scanned the room, not moving from the cavern wall. Where'd he go?

"I said _Howdy!"_

Izuku screamed in terror at the flower in front of him. How did he get over here so fast?

Izuku felt his heart pull out of his chest and saw the white box reform around it. His nightmare was repeating!

Repeating?

His whole experience was repeating? But Flowey clearly remembered him if the sadistic grin was any indication. Could this be Time Travel? But that wouldn't explain why Flowey could remember him. Although Flowey had claimed he didn't have a quirk it was clearly plant-based and so Time Travel wouldn't make any sense. Unless it was based off of increased plant growth? But that wouldn't explain how he could also control plants or why Izuku remembered being attacked. Speaking of which, why wasn't he being attacked right now?

Izuku switched his focus to the here and now only to be surprised. He _was_ being attacked! Those "Friendliness Pellets" shot at him over and over again only to be deflected by some purple shield made out of spiraling kanji. 

Flowey screamed in frustration as the pellets bounced off. Finally, he stopped his attack and growled angrily.

**_"DO YOU EVER STOP MUMBLING YOU NERD???"_ **

Was he mumbling again? Izuku looked at the kanji of the shield only to be surprised again. If he was reading the kanji right, it spelled out all his thoughts right down to his wondering why he wasn't being attacked.

Flowey's face distorted even more, his sclera turning black and his grin taking up half his face. Pellets surrounded Izuku completely, leaving no room for escape except for behind his mumble shield.

**_"YOU'RE GONNA DIE EVEN IF I HAVE TO BREAK THROUGH YOUR SHITTY SHIELD!"_ **

Why did Flowey sound like Bakugou for a second? It kinda made Izuku...angry.

The pellets flew forward and Izuku shut his eyes out of reflex.

But they didn't land.

Flowey screamed and the screams faded away as if Flowey was thrown a far distance. A kind gentle voice replaced his and Izuku couldn't help but open his eyes.

"What a terrible creature, to torture such a poor innocent youth."

Before him kneeled a large woman in purple robes. She had white fur covering her whole body and a pair of horns rested on her crown. Her eyes were kind and doe-like.   
She reached out to hold his hand and he flinched away. Flowey had acted nice at first too after all.

"Ah, do not be afraid, my child."

She smiled and in his mind flashed back to his mother's smile. They were both so filled with love and kindness he couldn't help but relax.

"I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. What's your name?"

"M-My name is I-Izuku M-Midoriya. It's...it's a pleasure to meet you!"

He bowed respectfully and she chuckled softly.

"You know you are the first Human to come here in a long time."

Izuku tilted his head in confusion. Why did everyone here think they weren't Human? Have they lived here since quirks first started appearing?

"P-pardon me, but aren't you Human? I-I mean you clearly have some form of quirk that alters your appearance but you should be Human all the same."

His question seemed to confuse her. She frowned and looked him over, even placing a big fluffy paw on his forehead.

"Strange, you don't have a fever. Perhaps you have a concussion?"

She gently touched his skull and seemed even more puzzled when he didn't indicate any pain from her ministrations.

"Definitely no head trauma. Tell me Izuku, has the world changed so much since the last child fell down here?"

Izuku was growing increasingly alarmed. If she'd never heard of quirks before that would mean either all the children that fell down here were quirkless or less than four years old. Even then most children would automatically assume she had some form of quirk. Unless...

"Toriel-san...when did the last child fall down here?"

Toriel gently stroked one of her ears as she thought long and hard.

"About 400 years ago, Izuku. The other children didn't have such a large time gap."

"And... you were around back then?"

"Of course. I've been around since before the War that brought all of Monsterkind down here."

Izuku began to sweat. Quirks weren't a reality 400 years ago. They didn't start showing up until 200 years ago and this woman was older? Much older? How much older?

"W-War? Who...who was in charge back then...?"

Toriel's face grew dark and Izuku worried he crossed over a line. He was asking about a War they supposedly lost.

"His name was Emperor Nintoku."

Izuku paled, "B-but that was-"

"Yes my child. That was over _2000 years ago._ All of Monsterkind has been trapped down here for 2000 years." Her kind smile was back but the look in her eyes was tormented. Izuku couldn't imagine the pain she had endured all these years.

Before he could think about what he was doing, he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. She hesitated for a moment but ultimately hugged him back.

"I'm sorry...For everything Humanity has done to you."

She smiled and patted the back of his head gently.

"You don't have to apologize my child. It wasn't your doing. Humans have come a long way since then, at least so I've heard."

She pulled back and smiled at him, a real smile this time.

"You look like you could use some tea and pie. How does that sound?"

Izuku smiled back.

"I think that sounds great. I can bring you up to speed while we eat too."

Toriel rose to her feet and gingerly took Izuku's hand.

"Sounds like a plan. Come with me, child. I will guide you through the catacombs to my home."

Izuku followed her willingly into the Ruins, unaware of a certain flower watching his every move.


	5. Dismay

Inko sat on her couch, surrounded by shreds of tissues moistened by her tears. Ever since she called the police she hadn't stopped crying. Mitsuki had rushed over as soon as she saw the cops and had sat with her the whole night, holding her hand and passing her tissues.

The Police had brought in the Hero Hound Dog to find Izuku. One of his gag t-shirts was all he needed, but he stayed a bit to help ease her concerns. 

The plan was for Hound Dog to lead them to where Izuku had gone, starting from the street the Slime Villain attack had been earlier that day. Since there had been no ransom call, they could only assume he had run away.

Inko was distraught at this conclusion, but in the end, she accepted it as a possibility. She wasn't as blind as Izuku had thought she was. She had even contacted the school a few times about him coming home with unexplained bruises and burns. The Principal had always assured her it didn't happen there, but she had her doubts. She had even saved up a little money for a private investigator. She cursed herself for not acting sooner, for not sitting him down and dragging the truth out like Mitsuki probably would.

If only she had been a better mother...

\--------------------

Bakugou grit his teeth as he watched the cops come and go. If that stupid nerd thought he could escape punishment by running away he had another thing coming. He watched the cops for a moment or two longer before returning to his homework. The shitty greenette disappearing wasn't going to hamper his path to U.A.

He was getting into U.A. even if the shitty nerd was already a corpse.

\------------------

It was a long night for the police and heroes alike. 

Hound Dog easily found his scent but was disturbed at the smell. It didn't smell like blood or any other internal fluid, but... the smell was flooded with _despair_. More so than a normal run away. The bitter smell of despair highlighted a trail to the train station where most scents would've been mixed and muddied with everyone else.

Instead the scent was highlighted further to the point that Hound Dog had to fight the urge to gag.

After sniffing a couple of trains and comparing the time it would take to get to the train station, Hound Dog found Izuku's exact seat.

The Police went through the security camera's and they all took a train ride to where Izuku got off.

It was during the train ride that Hound Dog expressed his concerns to the Detective with him.

"Naomasa-san? We need to talk... about the boy."

Naomasa sat up properly in his seat and glanced over at the space Izuku had sat only hours before. He already didn't like where this was going. He hadn't once he saw the direction the train took.

"Yes, Hound Dog-san?"

"You've noticed the direction this train heads towards, right?"

Naomasa leaned forwards so they could whisper among themselves. There weren't a lot of people on the train but it was still better not to disturb the passengers that were there. Hound Dog leaned forward as well.

"I fear the worst Hound Dog-san. It's only about an hours bus ride from one of the stations to Aokigahara. I pray Midoriya-san didn't get off there."

Hound Dog sighed deeply.

"I'm afraid that's the most likely station Naomasa-san... His scent is overcome with despair and grim determination. It's a very distinct and unpleasant combination."

Naomasa grit his teeth and rested his head in his hands. His mind was flooded with the look of despair on Mrs. Midoriya face, followed by the same look on Yagi's.

A heavy hand rested on his shoulder and Naomasa looked up at Hound Dog's face. He squeezed Naomasa's shoulder gently. It was hard to determine the look on Hound's face behind the muzzle, but he liked to think it was a kind look.

"I will still check every stop. I'd like to be wrong this time Naomasa-san."

So would he. Oh, how he hoped he was wrong.

\----------------------------

But they were both right.

The scent led them straight from that station to a bus stop which led them to an angry bus driver.

"I fuckin' knew it. _I fuckin' knew it!"_

They tried to calm the bus driver down, but he shook his head and grabbed his keys instead.

"Look 'ere ya two. I know these roads like the back of my 'and. Yer gettin' in my car and we're goin' ta where I dropped tha' kid off. Maybe we can shave a bit of time that way."

They didn't argue and while the boar headed man drove like a madman, Naomasa called for back up, namely The Wild Wild Pussycats. They'd need their skills to navigate the woods to wherever Izuku was.

\--------------------------

The scent brings them to the edge of the woods where they have to wait for backup to arrive.

It was while they were waiting that Naomasa got a call from Sansa.

"Naomasa-san, we got a call from the local police. A child came out of Aokigahara claiming to have been saved by Izuku Midoriya-san."

Naomasa relayed the information to Hound Dog who seemed to relax a fraction.

"And where is Midoriya-san now?"

Sansa cleared his throat and Naomasa felt his own closeup. A bad feeling crawled up his spine.

"About that Naomasa-san. The child claims that after they were saved, Midoriya-san fell into a hole and requires rescue. They claim he was alive when they saw him last."

Naomasa nodded to himself before delegating. While they waited for The WWP, the Rangers were given permission to look for Izuku. Hopefully, they could get to him before he succumbed to any injuries he may have sustained.

\-----------------------

Frisk led the Rangers along the ribbon, moving as fast as the terrain would let them. Their partner stayed quiet, but Frisk could tell they were nervously checking the people around them. A soft, "We need to talk later..." echoed through Frisk's head before fading away.

Finally, they came upon the spot Frisk recognized and they pointed out the massive hole out to the Rangers. They immediately began to prepare to go descend into the hole. Ropes were tied to trees and hooked onto special vests the Rangers were wearing.

It wasn't until the Rangers had gotten to the bottom that the second team showed up. Hound Dog was in the lead, his nose leading him straight to the hole. Pixie Bob was right behind him, smoothing out the terrain so everyone behind her could follow Hound Dog without any issue. 

Ragdoll was frowning. She looked back at Naomasa and shook her head. Naomasa himself bit his lip harshly but still raced forwards.

The least they could do now was find the body and give his mother closure.

Tiger stretched his way down the hole and joined the search team. Mandalay sent everyone an update to everyone involved, including the fact that they were looking for a body. She left Frisk out of the forest-wide broadcast, but the kid still teared up. Mandalay assumed it was the looks on the adults' faces that worked them up.

Mandalay and Ragdoll sat on a log with Frisk between them, their jobs essentially over for the moment. Pixie-Bob was busy reinforcing the walls of the hole so it wouldn't collapse and then forming stairs all the way down.

It was Mandalay that spoke to Frisk first. 

"What's your name, kitten? My name is Mandalay and this is my partner Ragdoll."

She gestured to Ragdoll who gave a small wave.

Frisk looked at both of them and began to sign. It was lucky they both knew ASL and JSL if only for missions when they had to be quiet. 

"Frisk is an interesting name. Is it a nickname?" Mandalay asked. She was shocked when Frisk shook their head and then clarified that it was what their parents called them.

"Where are your parents anyway? You shouldn't be out here so late in these woods alone."

Frisk hesitated, but instead of giving a straight answer like they expected they instead asked about the duo's quirks. Mandalay and Ragdoll looked at each other and both decided not to push the issue. This wasn't their area of expertise if anything it was the polices' and they didn't want to step on toes or silence the child further.

"Well, mine is called 'Telepath'. It lets me send messages to anyone in a given area."

"Aaaand mine is called 'Search'! It lets me monitor and observe up to 100 people at a time!"

Frisk's hands moved a mile a minute, fascinated by their quirks. But in the end, they hesitated again before signing, "I wish I had a quirk..."

Ragdoll tilted her head and blurted out without thinking, "But you do...?"

Frisk's head swiveled to look at the Pro Hero in shock. They pointed at themself and Ragdoll nodded.

"It's kind of a scary quirk considering where we are but you definitely have a quirk, kitten."

Frisk's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates before signing hesitantly, "What's my quirk?"

"You can see and speak to ghosts, kitten."

\----------------------------------

Hound Dog was getting confused. Outside the hole, Midoiya's scent was everywhere which lined up with the kid's story. Inside the hole was another story. Inside there was no trace of him, no scent, no blood, nothing. 

The Rangers were also confused. There was a cavern underneath the hole alright, but there was no sign of any life. No blood from where the kid would have fallen and as they searched the perimeter they realized there was no place the kid could've gone. Even if he was uninjured, he couldn't have left the hole or the cavern.  
It was at daybreak that they finally decided to leave the hole, empty-handed.

\------------------------------

Frisk sat in the interrogation room as the police filled out the paperwork. They understood they weren't in any trouble and was glad the police were kind enough to leave them age-appropriate toys. Their partner couldn't sit still however and instead hovered around the room.

"D-do...do you think anyone looked for me?"

Frisk looked up at Chara, still hovering but their face was less...scary. They didn't have the manic grin on their face and their eyes weren't so hollow. Their partner looked human for once.

"Yes."

The word was whispered but it shook Chara to their core. Chara sunk into the carpet and whimpered. The whimpering became sobs and by then they didn't bother to hide their face anymore.

"Do...do you think..."

Frisk held them tightly, almost fusing like they did before Izuku came around.

"D-did the barrier close b-behind me? L-l-like with Izuku...? Is that why...Is that why no one came for me...? Or the other children...? Because the barrier closed up... and not because... not because our parents abandoned us?"

Frisk held Chara tighter and let them weep into their shoulder. They were so happy that Chara was letting out their sorrow and anger in a healthy way instead of hurting those around them. They still hoped Izuku would come out ok, but they couldn't help but thank him for taking the fall instead of them.

"I think that people looked for you, and the rest of them just like they searched for Izuku-san."

Chara wept themselves to sleep and Frisk stayed completely still, holding them as they fell asleep.


	6. Datum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I actually had most of this written up but felt it was too short to be a chapter. Finally, though I was able to lengthen it. Hopefully, I can now get past my brain block and bring you more chapters!
> 
> Fun Fact: I rewrote this chapter 3 times with the first 2 times being too boring as Izuku followed around Toriel through the Ruins.

Izuku followed Toriel into a dimly lit room off to the side of the cavern. Curious, Izuku looked for the light source. Sure enough, floating inches from the ceiling were tiny wisps of light, dispensing a gentle glow throughout the room. As he stood staring at them, wondering about their power source, Toriel watched him.

He was such a curious Soul. She knew from the previous children that magic no longer existed above ground, but this one had clearly performed magic before she saved him. She saw his bright purple shield made up of letters she only half recognized. However, the way he looked at her lights made it seem like he'd never seen magic before in his life.

Finally, Izuku turned to her and asked, "How are these lights powered? Is it some kind of Quirk? Or is it electricity? I don't see anything connected to them, which is why I thought of a Quirk first."

His inquisitive mind reminded her of a child lost long ago, a purple souled child named Maryam. The poor girl had run away from her family because her father wanted to marry her off but she wanted to become a scientist instead. She could almost see the same sheen of curiosity in Izuku's eyes as she saw in Maryam's.

"I still don't know what you mean by a Quirk, Izuku, but I am the one who made those lights. I put them all throughout the Ruins so everyone can see."

She smiled at him and Izuku's eyes widened. Hastily he pulled his notebook out from his backpack and scribbled his notes into it. She chuckled and waited patiently for him to finish. 

"A-and h-how did you get rid of F-Flowey before? I kinda had my eyes closed..." Izuku asked sheepishly. She smiled at him again and conjured up a fireball in her palm. Izuku scooped up his notebook and gently pulled her arm lower so he could take a better look at the orb of light. Immediately he went to work sketching it out and muttering observations under his breath. He hesitantly checked the temperature with his hand over the flame.

"Hmmm... It looks like it's about 1500 degrees Celcius because of the color, but it feels much cooler..." 

"That's because I'm not trying to hurt you, my child."

Izuku perked up and gave her his full attention.

"You can change the temperature to whatever you want?"

Toriel nodded and beamed at his inquisitiveness. He was truly adorable when he was asking questions.

"Yes. I regularly use my magic to bake pies."

Izuku gaped at her in shock. The effort to bake with her 'Magic' would be phenomenal! Just keeping the temperature steady would be a herculean task, but keeping it steady for up to 30 minutes to an hour would be completely insane! By the sound of it, she did this regularly alongside keeping all of the Ruins lit making it an even more terrifying feat! How did she not regularly suffer from Quirk exhaustion?

"My child, I've been down here for 2000 years and I was already 150 when we were sealed down here. I'd like to think anyone would have that much control over their magic if they lived that long."

She giggled and Izuku blushed, realizing he was muttering out loud again. He finished up his notes and put them away. Toriel closed her palm, reabsorbing the magic into her skin. 

Izuku looked ahead and saw the pile of red leaves. Did trees grow down here? Did Toriels's light act as sunlight down here? He gently picked up a few, crunching them in his hands. He remembered jumping into piles of leaves like these growing up, Kacchan jumping in right next to him. Oh, how times had changed. Nowadays Kacchan... no, Bakugou, would probably toss him in and then blow up the pile. Laugh at him with all his friends.

Frisk's face popped into his mind and he wondered if they ever got to play in leaves like this. Something about the kid made him want to just be a kid, jumping into leaf piles and giggling without worrying about the future.

He didn't want Frisk to cry for him. He didn't want Frisk to blame themselves for his 'death'.

He had to get out of here.

He had to live!

A twinkle of light in the leaves grew to be a shining cross. Izuku had the urge to touch it but looked over at Toriel for confirmation. Toriel just stood patiently next to the door waiting for him. She didn't even seem to acknowledge the bright light.

So he touched it.

A black box with a bright white border popped up in front of him and he stared in astonishment. All of his aches and pains went away and text filled the box.

(Your desire to keep Frisk from blaming themselves fills you with Determination.)

(HP fully restored)

The Box filled with text again.  
  
[Empty LV 0]

[Save or Return]

Izuku gently pressed Save, wondering if this would stop him from having to encounter Flowey once again. If he was honest with himself, he knew he died to the little bloom. He didn't know what Quirk or 'Magic' rewound time to bring him back but he was thankful for it. The same person was probably the one who left this light here with the ability to 'Save' attached to it.

A small happy-sounding chime echoed through his head and the text changed.

[Izuku Midoriya LV 1]

[Ruins-Entrance]

[File saved.]

The box disappeared but the light stayed the same. He poked it again only to find the box filled with his new information. He returned instead and the box disappeared once more. He filled his notebook with the new information and Saved once more, wanting to keep his new notes.

He hurried up the stairs to Toriel and walked into the next room with her.

\--------------

Frisk sat on the bed in the room the police had provided them and thought hard about the day's events. After meeting Izuku's mom and being questioned the police had decided to put them in a hotel room for now. They had been told that after their documentation had been found, or recreated in a worst-case scenario, they'd be able to go home. Wherever that was. Their fingerprints were taken so that it'd be easier to find them in the system but Frisk already knew they wouldn't find anything.

  
Frisk's parents were villains after all. They had to be to leave them in that institution.

Timeline after timeline, Frisk had tried to save their fellow children from that place and just ended up in the Underground every time. No one was ever brave enough to come with them, their souls already broken. They regretted taking out their frustration on the Underground for several timelines, but what was done was done and all they could do was repent.

They had considered telling the cop with a truth quirk, but there were still too many unknowns. He might be one of those corrupt cops that the other children talked about. The ones that had dragged them there instead of taking them home. Even with his quirk, he might not believe them. It was a little insane sounding after all.

A facility on the edge of the Suicide forest that farmed the corpses of the suicidal and the quirks of abandoned children? They lived it and they still didn't believe it sometimes.

They curled up on the bed and thought of other things since this train of thought was heading straight for depression central.

Inko Midoriya was Izuku's mom and she looked like it. The same green hair and eyes and the same sad smile. They had spoken to her as the police did the paperwork and were surprised by how much like Toriel she was. Frisk had actually wondered if all mothers were like this before remembering what their own mother had done.

They had signed to Mrs. Midoriya what Izuku did for them because she looked like she was getting overwhelmed and it was the only thing they could think of. The interpreter told her and Mrs. Midoriya had hugged them tight thanking them for telling her. They had talked for a long time about Izuku and how he had wanted to become a Hero. How even quirkless he wanted to help people like All Might.

Frisk had told her that Izuku was already a Hero because he had saved them from falling down the hole themselves and something sparked in her eyes. Something akin to regret and determination swirled together. Frisk had wondered what Mrs. Midoriya had been thinking but didn't ask.

They wondered how Izuku was doing. He had died once, but he had come back so resetting wasn't an issue at least. They wondered if he had met Toriel or if he was wandering the Ruins alone. He seemed nice so they hoped he wouldn't hurt anyone but they knew from experience how easy it was to do.

They looked over at Chara, who was watching the tv the policeman had left on when he fell asleep watching them. They were doing better than before but still flickered with despair every now and then. Finding out that they weren't abandoned but instead unfindable had really hit them hard. Frisk wondered if they felt regret for everything they had done together. Chara looked back at them with a sad glint in their eye and Frisk was sure they regretted everything.

Frisk curled up tighter in the sheets and tried to sleep, regret and uncertainty swirling in their head.

\--------------

Tsukauchi had his head in his hands and was pondering what to do. The Midoriya case was... unheard of. The trail was by no means unbroken and they had to double back once or twice, but they found the hole Midoriya had fallen into. They should've been able to find a body at least. But that wasn't how it happened. The boy's scent just... disappeared midway down the hole, like it was cut with a knife. He had questioned the kid they found and everything they signed to him matched up.

So why could they not find little Izuku?

What was he going to tell the kid's mother?

His bastard of a Chief told him it didn't matter. There were no more leads and the trail had gone cold. He told him to "spill the bad news" and then get on with his life. He knew the Chief didn't like quirkless folks, but this was too far. This was bordering on discrimination.

However, he also knew that if he brought the case to his higher-ups, he'd get the same answer after maybe a week more of investigation.

He finally noticed his quirk going off and he sighed. He was lying to himself. He wouldn't get a week and the Chief was technically right. There was nothing he could do besides tie up loose ends.

Tell Inko Midoriya that they couldn't find her son's body and find out what would've made the boy want to commit suicide.

He got up from his chair and made a new pot of coffee.

He prayed the mom wasn't to blame. He didn't think he could bear that, especially after he saw her wipe away the other kid's tears.

They were good together, he noted. She had sat with the child after Ragdoll left, making small talk. The kid did end up telling her that Izuku saved them and Inko had hugged them tightly. Hopefully, she continued to treat the kid like that, especially after he updated her on Izuku. He couldn't bear the thought of Inko blaming the child for what happened. She didn't seem like the type, but he had seen it before and more than likely he'll see it again in the future.

As for the child, Frisk they called themselves, there was no record of them. No fingerprints, no birth certificate, nothing. He supposed the kid was from another country, but the few times they actually spoke it was in perfect Japanese.

Mysteries on top of mysteries...

He poured himself a cup of fresh coffee and resolved to get back to work, starting with breaking the news to Inko Midoriya.

He drove alone to her apartment and trudged up to the door. This was always the hardest part of the job and it never got any easier. He took a couple of deep breaths before finally rapping his knuckles against the door. Inko opened the door moments after as if she had been waiting next to the door the whole time. She probably had been but Tsukauchi didn't call her out on it.

"Detective Tsukauchi...," The hope in her voice made him nauseous. Just knowing he was going to snuff out the hope in her eyes crushed his heart.

"May I come inside Mrs. Midoriya?" She shuffled aside and he stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

He sat at the table and she hurried to the kitchen, preparing tea for the two of them. He sat in silence as she flitted around the kitchen. He never was much of a small talker and the dread closed off his windpipe. Finally, she sat down with the tea and she asked him, "So Detective Tsukauchi, might I ask the reason for your visit? If you had any news, you'd have called me...right?"

Tsukauchi shook his head and explained where they were in the investigation. Everything from the hole Izuku disappeared into to Frisk's testimony. By the end Inko was crying silently, tears slipping from her eyes unbidden. Tsukauchi sighed and finished with, "I'm sorry Mrs. Midoriya, but the only thing we can do now is tie up loose ends."

She sucked in a breath and then another before she finally broke down and openly wept. Tsukauchi rolled the tea between his palms and let her cry. She needed to let this out and he wasn't close enough to comfort her. Too many horror stories of cops being attacked by grieving families kept him from comforting her anyway so instead he sat with tea in his hands, feeling as useless as he had all throughout this case.

Finally, she wiped the tears from her eyes and she looked up at him, broken inside but still sane. She thanked him for telling her in person instead of over the phone and he waved it away. This was something she needed to hear in person and there was still work that needed to be done anyway.

"Mrs. Midoriya, one of the loose ends we need to tie up is why he ended up in Aokigahara. Are you willing to help us with that right now?"

She nodded, steel laced with pain in her eyes. She'd help them find out what happened if only so no other person would have to suffer the way she and Izuku had.

"Was there any sign of bullying in Izuku's life?"

She took a shuddering breath and began to speak. Yes, there had been signs of bullying. Yes, she had asked him who it was but received no answer. Yes, she asked his teachers and principal about it with emails to back it up and everyone denied it was happening. Yes, she had considered transferring him to a different school and had even saved up money for it. Some of the money was going to go to a private investigator. All of it ringing true.

Tsukauchi was angry, not at Inko of course, she had done everything she could have to keep Izuku safe while trying to keep him in school. He was angry at the Teachers and Principal for such blatant discrimination. Not only were they discriminating against Izuku, but they were also teaching a whole generation of kids that it was ok. That was what made Tsukauchi angry.

He asked her about the wounds she saw and she explained that most of the time Izuku was already bandaged up when she got home and had even washed his clothes. While she spoke though she had an epiphany.

"He had burns..."

"Excuse me, Mrs. Midoriya?" He didn't like the look in her eye. The look of realization and horror mixed in equal parts with betrayal starting to creep in on the edges. She knew who it was and it was someone close.

"You're going to have to double-check with the school, but... I think I finally figured out who did it."

"I'm all ears, Mrs. Midoriya."

"Please check with school records to see if anyone has a fire-based quirk or any other quirk that could cause burns. There is one person who I know does, but there's a slight chance it's not him."

"I'm going to need that name, Mrs. Midoriya."

"Bakugou, Bakugou Katsuki. He's... He was a childhood friend of Izuku's."


End file.
